Slough placed in Tier 3

Slough will be placed in the national covid Tier 3 – Very High Alert when lock down ends on 2 December, the government has announced. 

Slough will be placed in the national covid Tier 3 – Very High Alert when lock down ends on 2 December, the government has announced. 

This means, from the 2 December, the following restrictions will apply for the whole of the borough and all residents. 

In tier 3:
•    you must not meet socially indoors or in most outdoor places with anybody you do not live with, or who is not in your support bubble, this includes in any private garden or at most outdoor venues
•    you must not socialise in a group of more than 6 in some other outdoor public spaces, including parks, beaches, countryside accessible to the public, a public garden, grounds of a heritage site or castle, or a sports facility – this is called the ‘rule of 6’
•    hospitality settings, such as bars (including shisha venues), pubs, cafes and restaurants are closed – they are permitted to continue sales by takeaway, click-and-collect, drive-through or delivery services.
•    accommodation such as hotels, B&Bs, campsites, and guest houses must close. There are several exemptions, such as for those who use these venues as their main residence, and those requiring the venues where it is reasonably necessary for work or education and training
•    indoor entertainment and tourist venues must close. This includes:
o    indoor play centres and areas, including trampolining parks and soft play
o    casinos
o    bingo halls
o    bowling alleys
o    skating rinks
o    amusement arcades and adult gaming centres
o    laser quests and escape rooms
o    cinemas, theatres and concert halls
o    snooker halls

•    indoor attractions at mostly outdoor entertainment venues must also close (indoor shops, through-ways and public toilets at such attractions can remain open). This includes indoor attractions within:
o    zoos, safari parks, and wildlife reserves
o    aquariums, visitor attractions at farms, and other animal attractions
o    model villages
o    museums, galleries and sculpture parks
o    botanical gardens, biomes or greenhouses
o    theme parks, circuses, fairgrounds and funfairs
o    visitor attractions at film studios, heritage sites such as castles and stately homes
o    landmarks including observation decks and viewing platforms
•    leisure and sports facilities may continue to stay open, but group exercise classes (including fitness and dance) should not go ahead. Saunas and steam rooms should close
•    there should be no public attendance at spectator sport or indoor performances and large business events should not be taking place. Elite sport events may continue to take place without spectators
•    large outdoor events (performances and shows) should not take place, with the exception of drive-in events
•    places of worship remain open, but you must not attend with or socialise with  anyone outside of your household or support bubble while you are there, unless a legal exemption applies
•    weddings and funerals can go ahead with restrictions on the number of attendees – 15 people can attend wedding ceremonies, wedding receptions are not allowed, 30 people can attend funeral ceremonies, 15 people can attend linked commemorative events
•    organised outdoor sport, and physical activity and exercise classes can continue, however higher-risk contact activity should not take place
•    organised indoor sport, physical activity and exercise classes cannot take place indoors. There are exceptions for indoor disability sport, sport for educational purposes and supervised sport and physical activity for under-18s 
•    you can continue to travel to venues or amenities which are open, but should aim to reduce the number of journeys you make where possible
•    avoid travelling to other parts of the UK, including for overnight stays other than where necessary, such as for work, education, youth services, to receive medical treatment, or because of caring responsibilities. You can travel through other areas as part of a longer journey
Councillor Natasa Pantelic, lead member for health and wellbeing, said: “Unfortunately cases in Slough, though coming down, are not dropping significantly or quickly enough putting Slough people at risk. 

“While this risk remains so high, I call on all residents to follow the lockdown rules until 2 December and then stick to the regulations of our new tier to protect themselves, their families and communities from what can be a devastating illness.”

She added: “It is good news that cases are falling and that is a direct result of residents doing what they can and what needs to be done – whether that is wearing masks correctly, not mixing with people they don’t live with and isolating when necessary. 

“This shows the decisions each of us are taking are making a difference; so please continue to do all you can.”

As of today (Thursday 26 November), Slough has 313.6 cases per 100,000 people, 218.8 cases per 100,000 in the over 60s and 328.6 cases per 100,000 in those aged 17-21. 
 

Published: 26 November 2020